Tony Wu / Killer whale / Orca (Orcinus orca) large adult male stalking a large school of Herring (Clupea harengus) in shallow water, Norway, February

Huw Cordey / Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) emerging from Bracken Cave, Texas. Over 15 million bats are thought to live in this cave, making it the greatest concentration of mammals on the planet...

Yashpal Rathore / Demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) low angle fisheye perspective of feeding cranes. Khichan, Western Rajasthan, India. February, 2015

Yashpal Rathore / Demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) resting on sand dunes during winter migration, Khichan, Western Rajasthan, India. March.

Yashpal Rathore / Low angle view of Demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) flying and feeding during winter migration. Khichan, Western Rajasthan, India. December.

Alex Mustard / Brandt's cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) hunts for a meal in a school of Pacific chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus), beneath an oil rig. Eureka Rig, Los Angeles, California, United States of Ame...

Fiona Rogers / Mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei) silverback male feet, member of 'Humba' group. Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo, March.

Alex Mustard / Aggregation of Golden jellyfish (Mastigias sp.) in a marine lake in Palau, the golden colour of this species comes from symbiotic algae in its tissues. Jellyfish Lake, Eil Malk island, Rock Islands, P...

Floris van Breugel / Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) over winter on Eucalyptus and Monterey Cypress trees near Pismo Beach, San Luis, California, USA December.. When temperatures warm up enough, they will embark on...

Eric Baccega / Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) herd migrating in spring at dusk under moon. Yar-Sale district, Yamal, Northwest Siberia, Russia. April.

Bence Mate / Great egret (Ardea alba) group of five at water's edge, with very out of focus egret in foreground. Lake Csaj, Kiskunsagi National Park, Pusztaszer, Hungary, February.

Bence Mate / Great egrets (Ardea alba) in winter, and Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) with flock of other birds flying above, Lake Csaj, Kiskunsagi National Park, Hungary. January.

Pal Hermansen / Domestic reindeer herd (Rangifer tarandus) group close together in enclosure, Oppland, Norway, September 2014.

Pal Hermansen / Eider ducks (Somateria molissima) flock taking off from sea, Trondelag, Norway, January.

Bence Mate / Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) squabbling over fish, Pusztaszer, Kiskunsagi National Park, Hungary, November.

Bence Mate / Group of Great egrets (Ardea alba), Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) and Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) at night with stars and moon. Lake Csaj, Kiskunsagi National Park, Pusztaszer, Hungary. May.

Tony Wu / Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) large group gathering together, rubbing together to shed skin, interacting and defecating. Indian Ocean, March.

Tony Wu / Aggregation of Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) engaged in social activity. Indian Ocean, March.

Tony Wu / Twinspot snapper (Lutjanus bohar) shoal rushing up to spawn, releasing a cloud of milky white sperm and eggs in the water column. Caroline Islands, Palau, November.

Wim van den Heever / Whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) juvenile with adults behind, on frozen Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido, Japan. February.

Markus Varesvuo / Black grouse (Tetrao / Lyrurus tetrix) flock flying in snow, Suomussalmi, Finland, January.

Espen Bergersen / Gulls (Laridae) seaching for food in water containing blood coming from a large fishing boat, Tromvik, Kvaloya, Troms, Norway, November 2014.

Franco Banfi / Schooling Scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica.

Jeff Vanuga / Traffic jam caused by Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) mother and cubs crossing road, watched by tourists and photographers, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, October 2015.

Jeff Vanuga / Ephydrid flies (Ephydra sp) that eat microscopic algae and survives during the winter in thermal pools. Biscut Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, January.

Theo Webb / Driver ant (Dorylus) large soldier guarding smaller ants, in Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Alex Hyde / Red deer herd (Cervus elaphus) moving over mountain ridge in heavy snow. Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. January.

Peter Lewis / Super moon rising behind Glastonbury Tor with people watching, Somerset, England, UK, 27th September 2015.

Claudio Contreras / Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) flowers at twilight, Laredo Borderlands, Texas, USA. April

Wim van den Heever / Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) herd during migration, Masai Mara, Kenya.

Wim van den Heever / Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) viewed from above, Namib Desert, Namibia.

Jordi Chias / Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) and Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) chasing small fish offshore. Santa Maria Island, Azores, Atlantic Ocean. Third Place in the Underwater Category of the Por El...

Georgette Douwma / Big-eye fish (Priacanthus hamrur). Egypt, Red Sea.

Gerrit Vyn / Greater snow geese (Chen caerulescens) taking flight at sunset during migration. Montezuma National Wildlife Rescue, New York, USA. March.

Franco Banfi / Devilrays (Mobula tarapacana) large group at the surface, Ambrosio dive site, Santa Maria Island, Azores, Portugal, Atlantic Ocean

Franco Banfi / Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) diving among a mass of shoaling fish to feed, along with Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), Formigas Islet dive site, Azores, Portugal, Atlantic...

Franco Banfi / Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) diving among a mass of shoaling fish to feed, along with Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), Formigas Islet dive site, Azores, Portugal, Atlantic...

Pedro Narra / Local people gathered for education program to conserve the wildlife of the Bissagos Islands including the endangered Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) Bissagos Islands, Guinea Bissau, October 2014. 3rd P...

Pal Hermansen / Inuit sled dogs resting, near Ittoqortoormiit, Scoresbysund, Greenland. Second Prize in the Nature category of the Spider Black and White Photography Competition 2015.

Claudio Contreras / Caribbean flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) preparing to sleep, Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula Mexico, July

Claudio Contreras / Caribbean flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) adults guarding chick, Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula Mexico, June

Bence Mate / Little egret (Egretta garzetta) and Grey herons (Ardea cinerea) reflected in lake at twilight, Lake Csaj, Pusztaszer, Hungary. June. Winner of the Portfolio category of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images...

Jurgen Freund / Schooling silversides (Atheriniformes) split level with karst limestone cliff and West Papuan fishermen in their dugout outrigger canoe. Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Second Place in the Portfolio Award of t...

Bence Mate / Leafcutter ants (Atta sp) colony harvesting a banana leaf, Costa Rica. 3rd place in the Insects and Spiders category of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards competitions 2015.

Bence Mate / Great egrets (Ardea alba) and Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) squabbling over fish, with some in flight. Blurred motion photograph, Lake Csaj, Pusztaszer, Hungary. February.

Bence Mate / Two Great egrets (Ardea alba) standing opposite each other with Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) in between. Lake Csaj, Pusztaszer, Hungary, January. Winner of the Portfolio category of the Terre Sauvage Na...

Bence Mate / Group of Great egrets (Ardea alba) reflected in still water, with Hooded crows (Corvus cornix), Lake Csaj, Pusztaszer, Hungary. Winner of the Portfolio category of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awar...

Mark MacEwen / Snares island crested penguin (Eudyptes robustus) colony in forest, Snares Island, New Zealand.

Mark MacEwen / Snare's island crested penguin (Eudyptes robustus) colony on the coast, high angle view, Snares Island, New Zealand.

Dave Watts / Hermit ibis (Geronticus eremita) flock in flight, Morocco. Critically endangered.

Dave Watts / Hermit ibis (Geronticus eremita) colony, near Tamri, Morocco. Critically endangered.

Roland Seitre / Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) massive flock on small trees in desert, Murchinson Shire, Western Australia. January.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Honeybee (Apis melifera) visiting Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) in lavender fields, Valensole Plateau, Alpes Haute Provence, France, July.

Pete Oxford / Head-hunted human skulls, collected by the Konyak Naga tribe, North East India, October 2014.

Cyril Ruoso / Heleconia flower (Heliconia rostrata) Amazon, Peru.

Cyril Ruoso / South american sea lion (Otaria byronia) and American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) hauled out on the shore of Punta Coles Reserve, Peru.

Wim van den Heever / Large pod of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) porpoising over waves during annual sardine run, Port St Johns, South Africa. Runner up in the Animals in their Environment Category of the Wildl...

Angelo Gandolfi / White stork (Ciconia ciconia), nesting colony to provide alternative nesting area whilst the building they normally nest on is under repair. Extremadura, Spain, April.

Sven Zacek / Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) herd in snowy field in Tartumaa, Estonia, March.

Solvin Zankl / Portuguese Man-of-War (Physalia physalis) close up of tentacles, Sargasso Sea, Bermuda

Richard Du Toit / Greater kudu (Tregalaphus strepsiceros) covered in Yellowbilled oxpeckers (Buphagus africanus) rear view, Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Dong Lei / Himalayan honeybee (Apis laboriosa) Mount Namjagbarwa, Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Park, Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibet, China. October.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Cheese maturing on shelves in traditional dairy, Triglav National Park, Slovenia, October 2014.

Erlend Haarberg / Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) cubs looking curiously, Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park, Norway, July.

MYN / Tim Hunt / Composite of Caddisfly (Trichoptera) larva and cases, Worcestershire, England, UK, May.

Pete Oxford / Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) in Lago Azul with Torres del Paine, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile.

David Tipling / Common frog (Rana temporaria) and spawn in pond. West Runton, North Norfolk, England, UK, March. Highly commended in the Habitat category of the BWPA Awards 2015.

David Tipling / Northern gannet (Sula bassana) colony, Hermaness, Unst, Shetland Scotland, UK, April.

Chris & Monique Fallows / Long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) school porpoising, False Bay, South Africa

Andy Rouse / Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) with tourists watching from cars, Ranthambore, India

Espen Bergersen / Common guillemot (Uria aalge) flock, circling outside the breeding colony at Hornoya birdcliff, Finnmark, Norway.

Mark Jones / Snares-crested penguin (Eudyptes robustus) group climbing steep route to colony. Snares Island, New Zealand Subantarctic Islands. Endemic. Vulnerable species.

Ann & Steve Toon / Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) crossing the Chobe River, followed by swarm of flies, Chobe Game Reserve, Botswana, Africa.

Denis-Huot / Two African lionesses (Panthera leo) hunting a herd of zebra near a water hole during the dry season, Masai-Mara Game Reserve, Kenya. February.

Alex Hyde / Long exposure of light trail from bioluminescent click beetle (Pyrophorus sp) walking on ground at night. Danum Valley Sabah, Borneo.

Alex Hyde / Cup fungi (Cookeina sp) growing on decaying log in lowland dipterocarp forest. Danum Valley, Sabah, Borneo.

Alex Hyde / Chlorophyte or green alga (Volvox aureus) in pond water. UK. The larger spheres are approximately 0.5mm in diameter. Digital composite image.

Alex Hyde / Frogspawn from Common Frog (Rana temporaria), fisheye view showing pond habitat. Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, UK. March.

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Giant lobelia (Lobelia rhynchopetalum) plants in mist, Sanetti Plateau, Bale Mountains National Park. Ethiopia, November 2014

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Giant lobelia (Lobelia rhynchopetalum) flower spikes in mist, Sanetti Plateau, Bale Mountains National Park. Ethiopia, November 2014

Kirkendall-Spring / Prayer flags covering the side of Kuendeying Bazzam Bridge over the Wang Chhu in Thimphu. Bhutan, October 2014.

Georgette Douwma / Coral line nursery with Acropora corals grown to reintroduce to the Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean.

Georgette Douwma / Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) with two large remoras (Echeneis naucrates) attached to its carapace, at rest on artificial reef. Mabul, Malaysia.

Claudio Contreras / Waterfowl at dawn with mist, including Great blue heron (Ardea herodias herodias), American avocet (Recurvirostra americana), Northern shoveler (Anas clypeata), Xochimilco wetlands, Mexico City, Mexic...

Denis-Huot / Masai giraffe (Giraffa cameleopardalis tippelskirchi) herd walking across savanna in dry season, Masai-Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Jurgen Freund / Flock of Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus ) drinking in an outback dam, Northern Territory, Australia.

Pal Hermansen / Sprouting Soy beans (Glycine max) against white background

Ole Jorgen Liodden / Herd of Moose (Alces alces) following in line in each other's tracks, aerial view, Valdres, Norway, February.

Marie Read / Flock of White ibis (Eudocimus albus) in breeding plumage, at rookery on water's edge of the mangrove-covered island, Tampa Bay, Florida, USA, March

Constantinos Petrinos / Purple short tentacle mushroom coral (Fungia sp.) close up of polyps. Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Tui De Roy / Little blue / fairy penguin (Eudyptula minor) walking on pathway to nesting burrows, Neck Game Reserve, Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia, December.

Krista Schlyer / Yellow pitcher (Sarracenia flava) plants in bog, growing in fire-maintained landscape, Conecuh National Forest, Alabama, USA. May 2014.

Gabriel Rojo / Yatay palm / jelly palm (Batia yatay) trees silhouetted at sunset, El Palmar National Park, Entre Rios Province, Argentina

Fred Olivier / Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) travelling to the ice edge to feed, Antarctica.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Lizard orchid flowers (Himantoglossum hircinum), Ilbesheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, May. meetyourneighbours.net project

Staffan Widstrand / American Bison (Bison bison) herd in habitat, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, October.